Tesla Model 3 Track Tested By Edmunds – Video

Tesla Model 3 is equipped with a stiffer suspension than the Model S, so it should be more at home on a test track and, according to Edmunds, it is.

According to the Director of Vehicle Testing, Dan Edmunds, the Model 3, even with all-season 18-inch tires, handles well in the corners and has solid steering feel. Its low center of gravity and weight balance improves the driving experience.

If you want more out of the car, tires with additional grip will be needed and Edmunds is going to conduct another test with grippier rubber. You can see Edmunds’ the previous review of the Model 3 here.

Tesla Model 3

Performance results:

0-60 mph in just 5.3 seconds

quarter-mile ending in 13.6 seconds at 102.1 mph

braking from 60 mph on 133 ft

More about the Model 3 (via Edmunds):

Q: Will the performance of the Tesla Model 3 sedan be different if I buy the optional 19-inch tires? A: We think so, but we have not yet conducted instrumented tests of a Model 3 fitted with the optional 19-inch wheels and tires. Acceleration may not change, but stopping distance and cornering performance could improve. Soon we will retest our car with the optional tires to measure the difference.

Q: How many miles can the Tesla Model 3 sedan travel on a full charge? A: This Tesla Model 3 is rated to go 310 miles on a full charge because it is equipped with the long-range battery. But don’t expect to get anything close to that if you drive as we did at the test track. A relaxed approach is necessary to achieve any EV’s rated range.

Q: How much does the Tesla Model 3 sedan cost? A: The base price of a standard-range Tesla Model 3 will be $35,000, plus another $1,000 in mandatory destination charges. But that model is not yet being produced. All Model 3 sedans currently being built have an effective base price of $49,000 because the long-range battery ($9,000) and the Premium Upgrades package ($5,000) are mandatory options for now. Don’t forget to add another $1,000 for destination and delivery, too.

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The comment about the watt hours / mile at full power is interesting but I think a more interesting test would be to accelerate to 60 at various power levels (10%,25%, 50%, 75% and 100%), maintain 60 MPH for at least 10 miles and then compare total watt hours / mile. I don’t have a track to test on but in my Volt in EV mode my informal testing shows that my rate of acceleration doesn’t affect my total power consumption over a trip very much. Coasting (best) or staying at stable speed (next best) seems to matter enough to dwarf differences in initial acceleration rates.

Well said, and that’s true for ICE as well up to a point (only when going up to 4k+ revs is there an appreciable difference in fuel economy). If you’re below that, harder acceleration for a shorter time can actually be more efficient in some cases.

Minimizing braking and cruising speed are the most important factors for fuel efficiency. Coast to a halt as much as you can instead of staying on the gas and wasting that momentum on brakes. Try smoothing out traffic.

With EVs the effect is less pronounced due to regen, but it’s still a good strategy, because regen isn’t 100% efficient.

You probably know this, but for those who don’t, the key realization is that acceleration does’t waste energy no matter how quick it is (unless the motor/engine is being really inefficient); rather, energy just changes form. Braking and friction/drag is when you kill energy, i.e. turn useful work into heat.

“acceleration does’t waste energy no matter how quick it is (unless the motor/engine is being really inefficient)…”

100% wrong. Jack-rabbit starts, and mashing the accelerator to the floor, always waste more energy than gentle acceleration, for reasons ranging from the power/energy efficiency ratios of electric motors, to increased friction in the drivetrain, to wheels slipping and losing traction on the road.

Any hyper-miler can tell you that a driver will do far better in stretching out an EV’s range by accelerating slowly in favor of jack-rabbit acceleration.

Hyper miling by slowly accelerating only saves power in an EV vs more rapid acceleration because you are spending more time at lower speeds where wind resistance is lower and you ens up with a lower average speed. But thanks for letting us know that if you drive at a lower average speed you won’t use as much energy.

If you bothered to actually research it at all Tesla over delivered and can actually reach 0-60 in 4.8 seconds. Then again you can you seem bad at math to begin with since you don’t even seem to be able to add the price up properly. Last I checked the long range version is only 44k every other option has nothing to do with speed or acceleration.